Pipelines, deficits and immigration major issues for Canadians in 2018

The Trudeau Liberal government’s incoherence on pipeline policy, out-of-control federal government deficits, and illegal border crossings: These are issues that dominated conversations at the dozens of constituent roundtable meetings I hosted in 2018. As Parliament resumes this January, with a federal election on the horizon in October, expect the intensity of debates on these subjects to increase significantly.

I’m often asked how, in a strong Conservative riding like Edmonton-Wetaskiwin, we can have an impact on a Liberal government’s policies. The recent rallies in support of Canada’s energy sector provide us a perfect example. On news broadcasts and in social media, Canadians from Victoria, British Columbia to St. John’s, Newfoundland are seeing vast numbers of Albertans making their voices heard passionately, peacefully and respectfully.

These powerful images are triggering important national discussions. A growing number of Canadians are finally beginning to understand both the economic and environmental benefit of building world-class pipelines to move Canadian oil and gas to markets (including some in Eastern Canada) currently using oil from countries like Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq and Iran.

On deficits, the Liberals’ 2015 Election Platform, entitled ‘Real Change’ stated, word-for-word: “We will run modest short-term deficits of less than $10 billion in each of the next two fiscal years to fund historic investments in infrastructure and our middle class. After the next two fiscal years, the deficit will decline and our investment plan will return Canada to a balanced budget in 2019.”

Just three years later, in the Trudeau government’s own Fall Economic Statement, they have admitted having racked up an astonishing $60 billion in new debt over the last three years!

For 2019 — the year in which they promised, over and over again, that they would balance the budget — the Liberals’ own projection is for yet another $20 billion deficit. The independent Parliamentary Budget Officer suggests that the number could be closer to $30 billion.

Justin Trudeau once infamously stated that ‘the budget will balance itself’. It turns out that, unsurprisingly, that approach doesn’t work in practice, and future generations of Canadians will pay the price for his government’s out-of-control spending.

One example of a reckless policy approach having a significant negative fiscal impact is the crisis which has arisen at our border with the United States. Since the Prime Minister’s #WelcomeToCanada tweet last year, 40,000 people have crossed illegally into Canada from the US, at a cost of up to $34,000 each. By 2020, this crisis will have cost Canadian taxpayers $1.6 billion.

At the same time, because significant resources have had to be employed to respond to this self-inflicted crisis, it has become harder for law-abiding asylum-seekers and refugees to come to Canada.

Pipelines, deficits and immigration are just some of the issues raised by constituents over the last year. I’d love to hear what’s important to you. If you live in Edmonton-Wetaskiwin and would like to have your say at one of our roundtables, please call the constituency office at 780-495-2149.